This invention relates generally to new and improved apparatus for interconnecting a subscriber premises line and an incoming telephone company line and for disconnecting the subscriber premises line from the incoming telephone company line to provide a demarcation point therebetween to facilitate determination of whether a fault exists on the subscriber premises line or the incoming telephone company line. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved subscriber line module of the types illustrated in FIGS. 19-20 and 21-24 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,209, entitled INDIVIDUAL SUBSCRIBER LINE MODULE, patented Dec. 18, 1990, Thomas J. Collins et al. inventors, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention; this patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference as if fully reproduced herein and this patent is referred to hereinafter as "The '209 Patent." As disclosed in detail in The '209 Patent, individual subscriber line module 91A illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20 of The '209 Patent and individual subscriber line module 91B illustrated in FIGS. 21-24 of The '209 Patent, provide a demarcation point between a subscriber premises line and an incoming telephone company line to facilitate determination of whether a fault exists on the subscriber premises line or the incoming telephone company line, provide security to a telephone subscriber's terminals and jack by denying others except telephone company personnel access thereto upon the security cover of the module being fastened and locked over the subscriber terminals and jack, and prevent a subscriber from being exposed to potential telephone ringing voltage shock hazard at the subscriber wiring terminals upon telephone ringing voltage being applied to the incoming telephone company line while the subscriber is connecting or disconnecting the subscriber premises line to and from the subscriber terminals. The improved subscriber line module of the present invention provides these same functions but does so with patentably distinct structure and in an improved manner.
As taught in detail in The '209 Patent, the subscriber line module A illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20 of The '209 Patent and the subscriber line module 91B illustrated in FIGS. 21-24 of The '209 Patent are for being mounted, removably, to the bottom 20 of telephone network interface apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 3 of The '209 Patent and in more detail in FIG. 10 of The '209 Patent. Accordingly, it will be understood that as used in the following specification and the appended claims, the expression "telephone network interface apparatus" is used to mean telephone network interface apparatus of the type shown and described in The '209 Patent and indicated by general numerical designation 10. Still further, the new and improved subscriber line module of the present invention is also for being mounted, removably, to such telephone network interface apparatus.